The photographs were made via remote control, developed in orbit, and scanned with analog technology. The static images were then radioed to Earth and displayed on TVs, which were photographed. Those pictures were printed in tiny strips, collaged together, and photographed again.

All these steps took their toll on the quality of the images: Much like making a photocopy of a photocopy, the images of the moon created 40 years ago were fairly fuzzy and lacking in detail.

But some NASA scientists had the foresight to make magnetic tape recordings of the radio-wave transmissions mid-way through the process.

Now, after recovering the decades-old recordings and refurbishing outdated tape drives, a team of volunteers has begun digitizing the most famous images from the 1960s Lunar Orbiter missions with much-improved clarity and detail.